Monaco Linked to Falcao, Moutinho and Rodriguez: Are They the Next Big Thing?

AS Monaco have seen plenty of headlines in the last two weeks as they prepare to spend big in the summer transfer window.

The 2004 UEFA Champions League finalists are looking to celebrate promotion to Ligue 1 in style and are reported to be nearing the completion of three incredible summer transfer deals.

Life in Ligue 2 had been hard to take for fans of the club, but last summer owner DmitryRybolovlev supplied a hint of what was to come: The Russian billionaire, who's net worth is approximately $9.1 billion (according to Forbes), signed Argentine wunderkind Lucas Ocamposfor €16 million from River Plate.

Rybolovlev has now gone a step further, and, according to Sky Italia, Monaco have agreed deals for world-class stars RadamelFalcao, James Rodriguez and JoaoMoutinho.

As I announced a few days ago, JoaoMoutinho and James Rodriguez will sign to AS Monaco, according to Sky Italia. #ASMFC

James and Moutinho were two key factors in FC Porto's recent Liga Sagres victory, and both carry big reputations: Manchester Unitedhave long been linked to the former, while Tottenham have come within inches of signing the latter.

Denis Doyle/Getty Images

Should the deals go through one major question abounds: Is this a sustainable business model for Monaco to employ?

There are plenty of oil-rich billionaires bankrolling football clubs, but not all take the same "splash your cash" mantra.

Shakhtar do not spent £70 million a season like some, but they win the Ukrainian Premier League every year and end up making a profit.

On the other side of the coin, there's the Mark Hughes-Manchester City approach: Bar Carlos Tevez, the club overpaid for a lot of decent Premier League players, but no great ones. The result? Wayne Bridge's four-year, £90,000-per-week wage packet haunting the books.

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Rybolovlev clearly wants to make a statement and restore Monaco's name to our lips, and he appears to be coming in somewhere down the middle: He's buying big, but these aren't top-tier has-beens who are on their last legs.

These are world-class players with youth on their side. Moutinho is 26 but he's been playing first-team football since he was 17 and was made captain of Sporting at age 20; James is one of South America's brightest stars, and at age 21 he's only just getting started.

It has the look of a short-term shopping spree, but the youthful/prime nature of the recruits suggests it's just the start of potential dominance.

Monaco also holds the advantage of being a truly beautiful place to live, with sun, sea, harbours and Formula One racing to get excited about.

Should the deals go through, this could be the start of a dynasty that rivals Paris Saint-Germain's new-found dominance in Ligue 1. A few more players of this ilk coming in, who would bet against a European finish for the club next season?